Filming and photography on site

All requests for filming and/or photography on any of our hospital sites must be made in advance through the Communications team.

This applies to patients, members of the public (including people who work for the Trust, hospital volunteers and medical students) as well as the media.

This is to protect patient confidentiality and privacy. Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust sites are private property, and therefore the same rules apply to filming/photography inside and outside our buildings.

The Trust reserves the right to decline requests which conflict with operational requirements, or our duty to respect patient and staff confidentiality, or which we feel are not in the best interests of the Trust.

Please do not arrive on any of the hospital sites without permission. If you do so, you may be asked to leave by Trust security.

If you do obtain permission for filming and/or photography, please bear the following rules in mind at all times.

• Do not film or photograph patients, visitors or members of the public who have not given their written consent to be filmed. (The Trust can provide filming consent forms.)
• Do not film or photograph, in a way that will identity them, vehicle registration plates or patient records or any other patient information.
• Obtain verbal consent from staff before filming or photographing them.
• Respect the wishes and requests of any patients or staff that you are filming with.

Guidance on the use of mobile devices by patients and service users

We want you to use your mobile device in hospital, it’s an important way of keeping in touch and making use of online resources like the NHS app.

It’s important that when you use your mobile device in hospital you’re careful not to:

• Take anyone’s photo without permission, including staff or people in the background of your photos e.g. in busy waiting areas. It is important to remember that taking a photo or video could breach another patient’s privacy and cause them distress.
• Make video calls in a way that means the other person can see any other patients, visitors or staff members.
• Make calls or use your phone in a way that disturbs other patients.
• Use your mobile device around sensitive equipment where there is a particularly high risk of interference. Signs will make it clear that you shouldn’t use your phone in that area. Switch it off or enable ‘airplane mode’. Do not just leave the device on the silent or vibrate setting as it could still affect medical equipment.

The guidance above is provided by NHS England: Use of mobile devices by patients in hospitals